Advice to Parents & Players
Before Tryouts begin, please have a serious discussion about the following material:
1. Tryouts begin the week before the season. Your physical preparation is important as there are only 3 to 4 opportunities to show your abilities. Being tired and sore will hamper your chances of playing your best.
2. We hope to have 3 Teams (descriptions below) but much will depend on the number of players that make the program. (8th graders & Seniors read the special info at bottom)
TEAMS
Varsity - may be 16 - 22 roster spots. Varies due to level of players. Varsity will consist of number of players that maintains a high level of practice. Practices & Games are Monday-Saturday. Sundays off. Season is from first day of tryouts to second week in November. YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO PLAY ON ANY OTHER TEAMS DURING HS SEASON (no Club, Indoor, Coed, etc). Players may re-join Club after State or our regular season if we do not qualify for State.
Junior Varsity - may be 16 - 20 roster spots. Practices & Games are Monday-Saturday. Sundays off. Season until end of October. Players may then join Club after last game HS game.
C Team - if we have sufficient numbers, 12 - 16 roster spots. Practices & Games Tuesday & Thursday, some Mondays. Players may play Club concurrently.
3. The offering of a spot in the program:
After three (3) training sessions, the coaches will call you individually or in small groups and either:
A) offer you a spot on the C Team or JV Team or
B) ask you to train one more day for final consideration for Varsity.
We will say only the following:
In the case of A) "Congratulations, we would like to offer you a spot on the JV Team (or C Team) - please come to practice on Friday after school. If you do not show up, we will assume you do not want to accept."
In the case of B) "Please return tomorrow for training, we'll let you know which team you are on after training tomorrow."
UNDERSTAND ... nobody is "Cut" this day. You have been either offered a position on one of the teams or asked to continue to tryout for the Varsity.
After the Thursday session, the coaches will call you individually or in small groups and let you know our final determination. You will be offered a spot on one of the 3 teams - SENIORS are an exception (see Senior advice at bottom)
*** The "24 Hour Rule" will be in effect after each decision day - we will not discuss the reasoning behind our decision until 24 hours have passed. This will allow all parties involved to reflect upon the situation and discuss it under a less emotionally charged environment.
4. Injury, late arrivals, etc: players who are injured or are not available for the 3 days of tryouts will be allowed to "tryout" over a 3 day period when they become available during August. The tryout will consist of practicing with one or more of the teams. Coaches will determine placement after the 3 days and if there is room on the roster.
5. Advice to parents of sisters trying out or best friends trying out. One of them may make one team and the other another team. Just because friends may play on the same Club team doesn't necessarily result in both being on the same High School team. I have had the Freshman sister make Varsity and the Junior sister make JV. This proved very difficult for the family to handle. Please discuss this as a family.
6. What to expect for tryouts: fitness testing, technique evaluation and a series of small sided games will be played over the 3 days. This will range from 4v4 to 11v11. Coaches will be setting and shuffling the teams. You will play with others who are older/younger, more advanced/less advanced, friends/strangers, etc. You are expected to play your best, help others play their best, and encourage all to compete at their highest level. As the games rise in numbers per team, you will be asked to play various positions and in different match-ups.
7. Tryouts begin after school, unfortunately. Please make sure you have prepared yourself properly for the hot afternoons: hydrate and fuel yourself, shift from classroom mindset to field mindset, etc. DO NOT disturb your class to get water, food, etc. Passing periods are long enough to fill water bottles or eat a snack. Soccer players should be in class during class time, not the hallways. Once class is over, change quickly and report to the grass soccer fields.
8th Graders: Parents, discuss this at length with your daughter. I advise you to let her make her own decisions.
You fall within a special category. You, most likely, are still in the age group that has Fall Club soccer.
I encourage you to play your Club season and wait until your Freshman year to play High School soccer.
You are invited to attend the pre-season camp (called Storm Drain) and Tryouts for experience.
If you are determined to start your High School career, understand the following ...
If you make the Varsity Team = you are NOT ALLOWED to play Club or any other organized soccer in the Fall until the High School season is over.
If you make the Junior Varsity Team = you are NOT ALLOWED to play Club or any other organized soccer in the Fall until the High School season is over (8th graders will be handled on a per case basis).
If you make the C Team = you may play BOTH, Club and C Team. Many coaches will discourage this and it is very difficult to balance the two physically and mentally.
Please let Coach Rusk know if you are trying out for the experience or want to be considered for one of the High School teams.
SENIORS : Parents, discuss the following with the utmost seriousness.
The expectation is that you have risen to be the cream of the crop, the top level of soccer players at the school. Therefore, you will be offered a place on the roster if you prove to be one or more of the following -
A) An obvious starter for the Varsity,
B) One of the first substitutes to be used in the games
C) Serve a unique roll such as backup goalkeeper, exceptional leader, etc.
If you are not to be offered a spot we will (only) say:
"I'm sorry, we're not going to offer you a spot on the team. Thank you for your effort."
Our statement may seem abrupt and heartless, but 38 years of coaching soccer has proven that most players don't hear much past "I'm sorry." Any further discussion tends to be distorted and misinterpreted.
The "24 Hour Rule" will be in effect. You, the parent, may wish to immediately contact the coaching staff about your daughter not making the team. Please wait until the next day. All parties involved (player, parents and coaches) will need a period of reflection to be able to discuss the decision calmly and rationally. Neither the coaching staff, Athletic Director, nor school Administration will respond until 24 hours have passed. Both the AD and school Admin will ask if you have spoken with the coaching staff before they will discuss the matter with you. If after talking with Coach Rusk you are not clear as to why the decision was made, player and parents may request a follow up meeting with the Athletic Director.
So, players and parents ... please discuss the implications of all of the above. We all look forward to a rewarding Fall of soccer.